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ABC figures: Scottish and Irish weeklies lead way

Weekly newspapers in Scotland and Northern Ireland were once again among the best-performing paid-for titles over the second half of 2009, according to today’s ABC figures.

Across the UK as a whole, only 15 weekly newspapers classified as 100pc paid-for increased their circulation in the period July – December 2009 – down from 25 for the same period in 2008.

Of those, seven were in England, five in Northern Ireland, three in Scotland and none in Wales.

  • Editor toasts sales rise in first year in charge
  • How the regional dailies performed
  • How all the weeklies performed
  • Newspaper websites see mixed results
  • The Scottish and Northern Irish titles saw the biggest percentage increases, with top honours going to the Ellon Times and Inverurie Herald series which posted a 78.6pc rise in circulation from 1,834 to 3,275 copies a week.

    The best-performing English paid-for weekly title was the Malton and Pickering Mercury, whose sales went up 6pc to stand at 2,911.

    Some other English titles posted spectacular percentage rises by resorting to the paid paid-for, part free model.

    These included the 91pc free Medway News, whose circulation rose 612pc from 8,358 to 59,513, and the 83pc free Shrewsbury Chronicle, which posted a 161pc increase to stand at 36,619.

    The full list of 100pc paid-for weeklies which increased their sales is as follows:

    England

    Malton and Pickering Mercury 2,911 +6.0pc

    Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser 8,562 +2.8pc

    Coalville Times 8,606 +0.4pc

    Spalding Guardian 13,894 +0.4pc

    Daventry Express 8,324 +0.3pc

    Uttoxeter Post and Times 3,558 +0.3pc

    Surrey Advertiser 27,532 +0.2pc

    Scotland

    Ellon Times and Inverurie Herald 3,275 +78.6pc

    Mearns Leader and Kincardineshire Observer 4,786 +18.8pc

    West Highland Free Press 8,642 +0.3pc

    Northern Ireland

    Ads for Free 12,007 +9.9pc

    Coleraine Times 7,602 +7.3pc

    Londonderry Sentinel 4,473 +5.6pc

    Tyrone Times 3,612 +4.2pc

    Newry Democrat 8,246 +2.1pc